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Andrea Calogero Camilleri (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛːa kamilˈlɛːri]; 6 September 1925 – 17 July 2019)[1] was an Italian writer.[2]
Andrea Camilleri | |
|---|---|
 Camilleri in 2010 | |
| Born | Andrea Calogero Camilleri 6 September 1925 Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Italy |
| Died | 17 July 2019 (aged 93) Rome, Italy |
| Resting place | Protestant Cemetery, Rome |
| Occupation |
|
| Alma mater | Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico |
| Years active | 1950–2019 |
| Notable works | Inspector Montalbano novels Inspector Montalbano TV series |
| Notable awards | Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2003) |
| Spouse |
Rosetta dello Siesto
(m. 1957) |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Biography
editOriginally from Porto Empedocle, Girgenti,[3] Sicily, Camilleri began university studies in the Faculty of Literature at the University of Palermo, but did not complete his degree;[4] during that time he published poems and short stories.
From 1948 to 1950, he studied stage and film direction at the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts (Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica) and began to take on work as a director and screenwriter, directing especially plays by Pirandello and Beckett. His parents knew and reportedly were "distant friends" of Pirandello, as he relates in his essay on Pirandello, Biography of the Changed Son. His most famous works, the Montalbano series, exhibit many Pirandellian elements[citation needed]: for example, the wild olive tree that helps Montalbano think is on stage in his late work The Giants of the Mountain.
With RAI, Camilleri worked on several TV productions, such as Le inchieste del commissario Maigret[5] with Gino Cervi. In 1977, he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Arts, holding the chair of Film Direction and occupying it for 20 years.
Camilleri wrote his first novel, Il Corso Delle Cose ("The Way Things Go"), in 1978. This was followed by Un Filo di Fumo ("A Thread of Smoke") in 1980. Neither of these works enjoyed any significant popularity.
In 1992, after a long pause of 12 years, Camilleri once more took up novel writing. A new book, La Stagione della Caccia ("The Hunting Season") became a best-seller.
In 1994, Camilleri published La forma dell'Acqua (The Shape of Water), the first in a long series of novels featuring Inspector Salvo Montalbano, a fractious detective in the police force of Vigàta, an imaginary Sicilian town. The series is written in Italian but with a substantial sprinkling of Sicilian phrases and grammar. The name Montalbano is a homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán;[6] the similarities between Montalban's Pepe Carvalho and Camilleri's fictional detective are noteworthy. Both writers make use of their protagonists' gastronomic preferences.
This interesting quirk has become something of a fad among his readership, even in mainland Italy. The TV adaptation of Montalbano's adventures, starring Luca Zingaretti, further increased Camilleri's popularity to such a point that in 2003 Camilleri's home town, Porto Empedocle – on which Vigàta is modelled – took the extraordinary step of changing its official name to that of Porto Empedocle Vigàta, no doubt with an eye to capitalising on the tourism possibilities thrown up by the author's work. On his website, Camilleri refers to the engaging and multi-faceted character of Montalbano as a "serial killer of characters," meaning that he has developed a life of his own and demands great attention from his author to the detriment of other potential books and characters. Camilleri added that he wrote a Montalbano novel every so often just so that the character would be appeased and allow him to work on other stories.
In 2012, Camilleri's The Potter's Field (translated by Stephen Sartarelli) was announced as the winner of the 2012 Crime Writers' Association International Dagger. The announcement was made on 5 July 2012 at the awards ceremony held at One Birdcage Walk in London.[7]
In his last years, Camilleri lived in Rome where he worked as a TV and theatre director. About 10 million copies of his novels have been sold to date and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK (where BBC Four broadcast the Montalbano TV series from mid-2011), Australia and North America.
In addition to the degree of popularity brought him by the novels, Andrea Camilleri became even more of a media icon thanks to the parodies aired on an RAI radio show, where popular comedian, TV host and impressionist Fiorello presents him as a raspy-voiced, caustic character, madly in love with cigarettes and smoking, since in Italy, Camilleri was well known for being a heavy smoker of cigarettes. He considered himself a "non-militant atheist".[8]
On 17 June 2019, Camilleri suffered a heart attack. He was admitted to hospital in a critical condition.[9] He died on 17 July 2019.[1][10]
Recognitions
edit
- 1998 Nino Martoglio International Book Award.
- 2003 Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana).
- 2008 RBA Prize for Crime Writing for La rizzagliata / La muerte de Amalia Sacerdote ("The Death of Amalia Sacerdote"), the world's most lucrative crime fiction prize at €125,000.[11]
- Asteroid 204816 Andreacamilleri, discovered by Italian amateur astronomer Vincenzo Casulli in 2007, was named in his honour.[12] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 5 October 2017 (M.P.C. 106503).[13]
Honorary degrees
editHe received honorary degrees from several Italian universities, including the IULM University of Milan (2002), the University of Pisa (2005), the University of L'Aquila (2007), and the D'Annunzio University of Chieti—Pescara (2007). In 2012, he received an honorary PhD from the Sapienza University of Rome.
Camilleri also received honorary degrees from University College Dublin on 5 December 2011[14] and the American University of Rome on 30 October 2013.[15]
Bibliography
editInspector Salvo Montalbano (1994–2020)
edit(excluding short stories)
| Italian title | Year of Italian publication |
Italian publisher |
Year of English publication |
English title | English publisher | Year of Spanish publication |
Spanish title | Spanish publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La forma dell'acqua | 1994 | Sellerio | 2002 | The Shape of Water | Picador | 2002 | La forma del agua | Salamandra |
| Il cane di Terracotta | 1996 | Sellerio | 2002 | The Terracotta Dog | Picador | 1999 | El perro de Terracota | Salamandra |
| Il ladro di merendine | 1996 | Sellerio | 2003 | The Snack Thief | Picador | 2000 | El ladrón de meriendas | Salamandra |
| La voce del violino | 1997 | Sellerio | 2003 | The Voice of the Violin | Picador | 2000 | La voz del violín | Salamandra |
| Gita a Tindari | 2000 | Sellerio | 2005 | Excursion to Tindari | Picador | 2001 | La excursión a Tindari | Salamandra |
| L'odore della notte | 2001 | Sellerio | 2005 | The Scent of the Night | Picador | 2003 | El olor de la noche | Salamandra |
| Il giro di boa | 2003 | Sellerio | 2006 | Rounding the Mark | Picador | 2004 | Un giro decisivo | Salamandra |
| La pazienza del ragno | 2004 | Sellerio | 2007 | The Patience of the Spider | Picador | 2006 | La paciencia de la araña | Salamandra |
| La luna di carta | 2005 | Sellerio | 2008 | The Paper Moon | Picador | 2007 | La luna de papel | Salamandra |
| La vampa d'agosto | 2006 | Sellerio | 2009 | August Heat | Picador | 2009 | Ardores de Agosto | Salamandra |
| Le ali della sfinge | 2006 | Sellerio | 2009 | The Wings of the Sphinx | Penguin Books | 2009 | Las alas de la Esfinge | Salamandra |
| La pista di sabbia | 2007 | Sellerio | 2010 | The Track of Sand | Penguin Books | 2010 | La pista de arena | Salamandra |
| Il campo del vasaio | 2008 | Sellerio | 2011 | The Potter's Field | Penguin Books | 2011 | El campo del alfarero | Salamandra |
| L'età del dubbio | 2008 | Sellerio | 2012 | The Age of Doubt | Penguin Books | 2012 | La edad de la duda | Salamandra |
| La danza del gabbiano | 2009 | Sellerio | 2013 | The Dance of the Seagull | Penguin Books | 2012 | La danza de la gaviota | Salamandra |
| La caccia al tesoro | 2010 | Sellerio | 2013 | Treasure Hunt | Penguin Books | 2013 | La búsqueda del tesoro | Salamandra |
| Il sorriso di Angelica | 2010 | Sellerio | 2014 | Angelica's Smile | Penguin Books | 2013 | La sonrisa de Angélica | Salamandra |
| Il gioco degli specchi | 2011 | Sellerio | 2015 | Game of Mirrors | Penguin Books | 2014 | Juego de espejos | Salamandra |
| Una lama di luce | 2012 | Sellerio | 2015 | A Beam of Light | Penguin Books | 2015 | Un filo de luz | Salamandra |
| Una voce di notte | 2012 | Sellerio | 2016 | A Voice in the Night | Penguin Books | 2016 | Una voz en la noche | Salamandra |
| Un covo di vipere | 2013 | Sellerio | 2017 | A Nest of Vipers | Penguin Books | 2017 | Un nido de víboras | Salamandra |
| La piramide di fango | 2014 | Sellerio | 2018 | The Pyramid of Mud | Penguin Books | 2018 | La pirámide de fango | Salamandra |
| La giostra degli scambi | 2015 | Sellerio | 2019 | The Overnight Kidnapper | Penguin Books | 2019 | El carrusel de las confusiones | Salamandra |
| L'altro capo del filo | 2016 | Sellerio | 2019 | The Other End of the Line | Penguin Books | 2020 | Tirar del hilo | Salamandra |
| La rete di protezione | 2017 | Sellerio | 2020 | The Safety Net | Penguin Books | 2021 | La red de protección | Salamandra |
| Il metodo Catalanotti | 2018 | Sellerio | 2020 | The Sicilian Method | Penguin Books | 2021 | El método Catalanotti | Salamandra |
| Il cuoco dell'Alcyon | 2019 | Sellerio | 2021 | The Cook of the Halcyon | Penguin Books | 2022 | El cocinero del Alcyon | Salamandra |
| Riccardino (it) | 2020[16][17] | Sellerio | 2021 | Riccardino | Mantle | 2022 | Riccardino | Salamandra |
Other
edit(including Montalbano short stories)
- Le Arancine di Montalbano (1999) ISBN 88-04-46972-2
- Biografia di un figlio cambiato (2000) ISBN 88-17-86612-1
- Il birraio di Preston (1995) ISBN 88-389-1098-7
- La bolla di componenda (1993)
- La concessione del telefono (1998) ISBN 88-389-1344-7
- La concessione del telefono: versione teatrale dell'omonimo romanzo (2005) ISBN 88-7796-265-8
- Il corso delle cose (1978; revised edition, 1998) ISBN 88-389-1472-9
- Il diavolo: tentatore, innamorato (2005) ISBN 88-7989-960-0
- Favole del tramonto (2000) ISBN 88-86772-22-X
- Un filo di fumo (1980)
- Il gioco della mosca (1995) ISBN 88-389-1193-2
- Gocce di Sicilia (2001) ISBN 88-86772-08-4 (Texts originally published in the Almanacco dell'Altana between 1995 and 2000.)
- Le inchieste del commissario Collura (2002) ISBN 88-7415-002-4
- La linea della palma: Saverio Lodato fa raccontare Andrea Camilleri (2002) ISBN 88-17-87050-1
- Il medaglione (2005) ISBN 88-04-55027-9
- Un mese con Montalbano (1998) ISBN 88-04-44465-7 (Thirty short stories)
- Montalbano a viva voce (2002) ISBN 88-04-50974-0 (Two audio CDs)
- La mossa del cavallo (1999) ISBN 88-17-86083-2
- L'ombrello di Noe (2002) ISBN 88-17-87011-0
- Le parole raccontate: piccolo dizionario dei termini teatrali (2001) ISBN 88-17-86888-4
- La paura di Montalbano (2002) ISBN 88-04-50694-6 (Six short stories)
- The Fourth Secret (2014), a short story taken from La paura di Montalbano
- La Pensione Eva: romanzo (2006) ISBN 88-04-55434-7
- La presa di Macallè (2003) ISBN 88-389-1896-1 (Novel in the dialect of Sicily)
- La prima indagine di Montalbano (2004) ISBN 88-04-52983-0
- Privo di titolo (2005) ISBN 88-389-2030-3
- Racconti quotidiani (2001) ISBN 88-900411-4-5
- Il re di Girgenti (2001) ISBN 88-389-1668-3
- Romanzi storici e civili (2004) ISBN 88-04-51929-0
- ' 'La scomparsa di Patò: romanzo (2000) ISBN 88-04-48412-8
- Hunting Season (2014) La stagione della caccia (1992, 1998) ISBN 88-389-1018-9
- Storie di Montalbano (2002) ISBN 88-04-50427-7
- La strage dimenticata (1997) ISBN 88-389-1388-9
- I teatri stabili in Italia (1898–1918) (1959)
- Teatro (2003)
- La testa ci fa dire: dialogo con Andrea Camilleri (2000) ISBN 88-389-1568-7
- Vi racconto Montalbano: interviste (2006) ISBN 88-7981-302-1
- Il colore del sole (2007)
- Le pecore ed il pastore (2007)
- La novella di Antonello da Palermo (2007)
- Voi non sapete (2007)
- Maruzza Musumeci (2007)
- Il tailleur grigio (2008)
- Il casellante (2008)
- La muerte de Amalia Sacerdote (2008), La muerte de Amalia Sacerdote (Spanish) ISBN 978-8490565063
- Un sabato, con gli amici (2009)
- Il sonaglio (2009)
- La rizzagliata (2009)
- La tana delle vipere (2009)
- Il nipote del Negus (2010) ISBN 88-389-2453-8
- L'intermittenza (2010) ISBN 978-88-04-59842-8
- The Revolution of the Moon (2017) La rivoluzione della luna (2013) ISBN 9788838930140
- Noli me tangere (2016) ISBN 978-88-04-66187-0
- Ora dimmi di te (2018) ISBN 978-88-4529-7755, Háblame de ti. Carta a Matilda (Spanish) ISBN 978-8498389692
References
edit- ^ a b "È morto Andrea Camilleri, papà di Montalbano, scrittore e maestro nato per raccontare storie". Repubblica.it (in Italian). 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Andrea Camilleri nell'Enciclopedia Treccani". Treccani.it. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
- ^ Agrigento since 1927
- ^ "Andrea Camilleri Libri - I libri dell'autore: Andrea Camilleri - Libreria Universitaria". www.libreriauniversitaria.it. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ Rinaldi, Lucia (2012). Andrea Camilleri: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction. McFarland. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7864-4670-4. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ^ Tondo, Lorenzo (5 April 2019). "'Italians go for the strongman': Montalbano author on fascism and the future". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Cf. CWA's website page "CWA International Dagger 2012 Winner" Archived 4 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Interview to Infomed". Infomedi.it. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
- ^ "ANDREA CAMILLERI NON È MORTO/ "Non cosciente, stabile": l'ispettore Fazio "stai qui"". IlSussidiario.net. 17 June 2019.
- ^ Marchese, Francesca (17 July 2019). "Inspector Montalbano creator Camilleri dies at 93". BBC News.
- ^ "Scottish author wins lucrative crime award". Business and Leadership. 4 September 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ^ "204816 Andreacamilleri (2007 OZ)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "UCD honorary degrees for Joseph O'Connor, Andrea Camilleri, Mary Gordon, and Olivia O'Leary". University College Dublin. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Maestro Andrea Camilleri Receives AUR Honoris Causa Degree". The American University of Rome. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ Marchese, Francesca (17 July 2019). "Andrea Camilleri: Inspector Montalbano author dies aged 93". BBC News. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
Camilleri's final book in the series, entitled Riccardino and written in 2006, remains with his publisher, locked in a cabinet in Palermo under agreement that it be printed at a later date.
- ^ Agence France-Presse (16 July 2020). "Montalbano returns in Andrea Camilleri's posthumous novel". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
Riccardino was first penned in 2005 and then tweaked in 2016, after which Camilleri gave it to his publisher on the promise that it would not be released until after his death.
External links
edit
- (in Italian) Official website
- (in English) Andrea Camilleri: a life in writing
- (in English) From Montelusa to Vigata. On the trail of Andrea Camilleri and Inspector Montalbano
- (in German, English, and Italian) Andrea Camilleri Reader Website (in German, English, and Italian)
- (in Italian) Vigata.org – Camilleri Fans Club
- Popham, Peter (7 January 2007). "Andrea Camilleri: Once upon a time in Sicily". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- Bailey, Paul (14 October 2006). "The sage of Sicily". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- Judges by Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli, Giancarlo De Cataldo - Book Review at Upcoming4.me